Chapter 251: A Feint!
He had always heard of people deceiving one's own father but for Yang Botao to be tricked by his father instead was an eye-opener - one that was utterly reprehensible. It was lamentable, lamentable indeed!
"Do not worry, I will fulfill my promise!" Yun Yang said quietly.
After that, the green shadow of a wind twirled to face the man in black who had been waiting patiently. "Lead the way. Let this reputed one see what other tricks the Four Seasons Tower has in its sleeves!"
The man in black chuckled and replied, "Lord Supreme Wind is courageous indeed. Please follow me."
He then leaped like a whirlwind, speeding upwards to the mountain.
Yun Yang snorted and followed suit, whirling up into the air in his green form of a gale. With a swoosh, he soon reached the higher regions of the sky. The gale billowed and suddenly changed direction, catapulting towards Tiantang City.
This was surprising.
The man in black was heading towards the top of the mountain when he felt an odd change in the sound of the wind behind him. Lifting his head to take a look, he was enraged. "Supreme Wind! Are the so-called Nine Supremes so afraid of death then? What about what you've said earlier, about how one can't stand in this world without keeping promises made?"
The wind was still fluttering in the air, and the following words were accompanied by a mirthless chortle, "Please relay this to your master... setting the same trap once is already one too many times. Are you hoping for this reputed one to step into the same pit twice? Are your pig brains worthy to speak of trust with me? Could it be this childishness that built the Four Seasons Tower's intrepid reputation?"
Even as the guffaw reached his ears, the gale had wafted a thousand miles away.
"Until I triumph in this world, I shall wipe out the Four Seasons Tower!"
Looking at the wind that vanished so swiftly, the expert dressed in black who was now on the mountainside was momentarily stunned before he broke out in a violent string of curses. Vulgar words spilled from his mouth as they formed a morbid poem of their own.
The man clutched his chest, feeling it throbbing with his anger.
This Supreme Wind was unbelievable!
He who said that one could not stand in this world without keeping the promises made - where was that man again? Where was your promise? You must have eaten your own words.
He had waited there for so long like an idiot, watching the man speak with Yang Botao for such a long time and for the man to keep him waiting as he cleaned up the corpse slowly. He had agreed to everything but he had fled the moment he completed his affair!
He was f*cking playing him out!
The masked man in black almost spat blood.
There was no use raging no matter how angered he was - not even if he died from the fury. After all, not even the shadow of Supreme Wind could be seen anymore. In the end, the man in black could only dash toward the mountain peak as he mumbled curses along his way.
On the mountaintop, there were plenty of people who were as dumbfounded as him; people who had been waiting for days after setting up the trap...
...
The green gale moved faster and faster until it turned into a hurricane and thundered past the high altitudes towards Tiantang City.
Where the hurricane was in the high altitude, the blade from the sky reappeared unsurprisingly as it trailed closely after Yun Yang.
"He actually didn't buy into the trap?! No matter how he thinks, he will not have expected me to lock down on him from the back. He has to head past me if he wishes to escape. If the legend of the Nine Supremes ends in my hands, I will be a legend... adding another page to my book of legacies!"
The saber light was secretly pleased with his idea, resolved to write another page of his legendary feats.
Upon deciding, he acted more cautiously. Catching up to the hurricane, he tailed Yun Yang carefully and intentionally lengthened the distance between them. He was afraid of alerting Supreme Wind and ruining his chance of an eternal legacy...
The return journey had been decided by Yun Yang himself, so his speed was faster than when he had come. Although the person carrying Yang Botao had the cultivation base of Tenth Perfection, he was carrying a big-sized man after all; his speed would undeniably be hindered. Now, Yun Yang was advancing with the speed of a hurricane, how could he be slow?
The blade that hung from the sky was not at all anxious; he was admirably patient. Right now, he preferred to stumble upon Supreme Wind's hideaway through this opportunity and affirm if there were anyone else from the Nine Supremes who were still alive. After all, the ambush on Yang Botao the other night included flame attacks that hinted at Supreme Flame's existence. He had gotten Supreme Wind right where he wanted anyway, there was no rush in killing him so hastily!
As the chase persisted, it went as far as a hundred and eighty miles. Tiantang City's majestic walls could already be seen from far away but the blade in the sky was suddenly stumped!
To his shock, he realized that Supreme Wind's will that he had been after was actually dissipating.
A few moments later, it had totally disappeared.
He had just been right behind him, locking him down with his deific consciousness - how could he have lost him just like that?!
The saber from the sky was obviously unable to accept such an ending. After a slight moment of indecision, he began making anxious rounds around the clouds, searching his surroundings helplessly. Compared to thinking he had been tricked all along, he was leaning more towards the theory that he had been found out by Supreme Wind halfway through the chase and the latter had executed some sort of skill to temporarily vanish. That was how the will he had locked down on dissipated!
If so, Supreme Wind would not be far. He had to be somewhere nearby!
The blade from the sky extended his deific consciousness to the maximum in search for him. He was no longer hiding his search but it still proved fruitless. Finally, he had to admit that he had been tricked!
In spite of this, he still did not get it. He had been in hot pursuit from the city and now back to it; he had already locked his aim and it was not any ordinary aim - it was locked with the Soul Seal. How could it just disappear?
Was it possible that a person's Soul Seal could vanish from some sort of trickery?
Would that not be a skill of the legendary Yang God level and above? How could it be possible with Supreme Wind's insignificant cultivation base?
The saber light stayed hidden within a cloud; he was in a daze, thinking hard and long but still unable to figure it out.
He only felt terribly cheated. The frustration and odd disappointment were eating him up. Even when he was so knowledgeable and experienced, he was still unable to make sense of what had happened.
What had really happened?
...
The reality was really simple. The hurricane the blade was trailing after was only a sliver of Yun Yang's wind manifestation. It had the essence and the form but it was only maintained with a breath of energy. As the energy dissipated, the essence and form would vanish accordingly. What was so strange about the power of wind disappearing into thin air?
As for Yun Yang's real self, he had transformed into a cloud and was still hovering over the mountain up in the air. He had never truly left.
Dense, gloomy, clouds had gathered while lightning strikes were crisscrossing the sky - it looked like a heavy rain would come soon.
It did not yet, though, and the rocks at the top of the mountain beneath Yun Yang weighed him down heavily. The oppression reminded Yun Yang of Tianxuan Cliff, of the brutal battle...
The depressing weight actually felt much lighter here compared to that fated day at Tianxuan Cliff. All in all, however, the feeling cast upon him felt the same.
"There is indeed a similar ambush like the spiritual sealing formation..." Yun Yang cursed inwardly.
Upon being sure of the other party's set-up, he moved even more carefully. If he were to be found and they were to activate the formation, he would be in an embarrassingly compromised position where his manifestation skill could no longer be used. Death might come to him then, the hope to live considerably lessened...
...
It was not only Yun Yang who was spewing curses though; lambasting blasted from the ground below as well.
"That Supreme Wind is too sly! F*ck, we've prepared everything and he actually skipped out on us."
"Your father has waited for so long with everyone's pants off and he actually softens? Fleeing at the last minute?"
"That f*cker ran so fast, not even a sign of him could be seen!"
"Bastard, we've set this up with so much effort and for so long but it's all in vain!"
"Why do I feel like an idiot?"
The group was critically berating their cowardly target.
At the top of the mountain, a man in golden clothes sat atop a large rock on the highest point of the mountain. His intimidating aura enveloped the entire forest and more, emphasizing his distinction which far outstripped from the rest.
Yun Yang hovered thousands of feet above, observing the activities carried out beneath and carefully controlled his trace of pulses behind a cloud to prevent it from spilling over. The roaring thunder and flashes of lightning grew increasingly urgent.
It gave off the illusion that a storm was approaching.
"Forget it, spare your energy." The man dressed in gold who had been quiet finally spoke, "Supreme Wind didn't come but a storm seems to be approaching. No use wasting so many treasures."
The dozens of men scattered around stepped over quickly, cursing violently but they set out to collect whatever they had set up around the forest.
Yun Yang's eyes widened at once, focusing all of his attention on the items being set out.
He saw a man retrieving something shiny from beneath a rock.
As the shiny item was taken, the oppressive mood suddenly went away.
Yun Yang jolted, the gale whistling billowed harder while the gloomy clouds pressed lower and the thunders roared louder.
Seeing the change of weather, the men below hastened their actions, working swiftly amidst the strong wind.
The man in gold stayed where he was, standing with his arms behind his back and a closed-off expression.
This person's eyebrows were like two brushes that were thick and dense. The corners of his brows drooped with a hook while his eyes were embedded deep in the nooks of his face. His gaze was cold, without the slightest ruffle of emotions yet when one stared into his eyes, one would inevitably feel as if he was looking at death itself. It was eerie and petrifying.
The other men were covered in black and wore masks. To a man, they all exuded a formidable aura as well.
Yun Yang's initial thought was to attack with thunder and lightning, using his advantage of being in the sky to exterminate these people. However, when he got near and felt their tyrannizing auras, he knew that nothing would happen even if he expended all of his current capabilities. The most he could do was to fluster them but he could never inflict any damage. Not only would that be futile, it would only alert them.
He was wary, especially of the man in gold. His capability was frightening. It was nothing Yun Yang's current ability could waver.
Yun Yang only dared to observe from above, watching the shiny items being retrieved from afar. He could not see what those things were. Despite wanting to find out what they were, there was the possibility of being discovered if he lowered himself further.
The difference between the abilities on both sides was distinct. Once he was discovered, only death awaited him. He could not take the risk.
Besides, his objective today had been achieved. He should leave immediately.
With that thought in mind, the wind whizzed harder in the air but the grey clouds had slowly moved higher. It felt like a different world altogether.
After a while, the glum sky seemed to brighten.
The man in gold clothes lifted his head to glance at the ominous sky and scintillating lightning strikes. They seemed to have lessened considerably.
The storm that was supposed to arrive did not but it was turning sunny instead.
How could there not be rain after the long simmering of thunderclouds? Years of life experience did not tell of such a phenomenon. Some rain had to fall from such heavy, ominous weather!
What was going on today?
He frowned. Suddenly, he sprung up with a long howl; his hands glowed with a dazzling light as a tremendously sharp sword air surged through the sky.
The sword air went up into the sky and pierced the clouds, cutting and shattering the grey clouds within a thousand feet of its reach.
Translator Note:
1Tricking one's father (坑爹kēng diē): First word坑(kēng) means to be tricked or cheated while second word爹 (diē) refers to one's father. Used as a modern slang, it means the reverse of one's expectation; to describe the discontent and anger of being deceived. Here, it is used literally - deceiving one's father, in order to facilitate the wordplay that follows.